Process of coating arc welding electrodes



y 1931- s. ,s. STEWART 1,806,128

PROCESS OF COATING ARC WELDING ELECTRODES Filed April 25, 1930 INVENTORI v V ATTORNEYS 6 substances, have Patented May 19, 1931 I UNITED STATESPATENT OFFICE.

.SIGMUND S. STEWART, OF IPAS SAIC, NEW JERSEY, ASSIGNOB T0 WILSON WELDERl: METALS COMPANY, INC OF HOBOKEN, NEW JERSEY, A CORPORATION OF NEW YORKPROCESS O]? OOATIN 'G ABC WELDING ELECTRODES Application fled April25,1930. Serial 110. 447,897.

This invention relates to ing arc welding electrodes.

Heretofore coatings, such for example as may be genericall termedweld-regulating een applied by dipping electrodes into the material andthereafter allowing the adhering material to dry on the electrodes whilethey are supported or held in a vertical or substantially verticalposition.

Peculiar to the above prior practice are certain inherent disadvantages,among which the following are of a particular serious a process ofcoatnature: First, due to the consistency of the coating material, whichis substantially that of a sticky mass, it will flow or move down theelectrodes during drying with this result that the coating, when dry,will be substantially thicker atthe lower end of the electrodes than atthe upper ends thereof, the

unevenness of such coatin tending to produce lack of uniformity inwelding, as is well recognized by those skilled in the art.

Second, considerable time is required per unit weight of electrodes incarrying out the coating process according to the tice. Third, anexcessive an amount of coating material for a given unit weight ofelectrodes has been necessary.

Fourth, the laborcost of coating, according to prior practice, has beenhigh.

The ob ect of this invention is to overcome the above objections, and tothis end the present method resides in tumbling the electrodes one uponanother, in the presence of a coating material, while in a parallel orsubstantially parallel axial relation,and further contemplates alongitudinal shifting of the electrodes with respect to each otherduring the tumbling operation so as to produce a uniformly thick coatingon each electrode throughout the length thereof; all of which results ina substantial saving, as compared -with prior labor cost.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will become apparent fromthe following description,'taken in connection with the accompanyingdrawing, which is a view in elevation showing a'tumbling apparatuspractice, in time, material and (prior prac wasteful The tumblingapparatus herein shown includes a suitable rame 5, inthe verticalstandards of which is 'ournalled a shaft 6,

to which is connecte a drive pulle 7 through which the shaft-may berotated i i-om a suitable source of power, not shown, at a suitablespeed, say, thirty revolutions per minute.

Secured to each end of the shaft 6, is a suitable receptacle or tumblingbarrel 8 which is shown as hexagonal in cross section. These barrels aresecured to the shaft 6 at a relatively small angle thereto, so thattheir contents will be subjected to-a shifting action longitudinally. oftheir axes while such contents is subjected to a rolling action indirections generally transversely of the barrels. For the coating ofelectrodes which are fourteen inches long, barrels each having a len hof twenty inches and a diameter of ten inc es have been foundsatisfactory in carrying out the present invention.- t

The outer end of eachbarrel is provided with a suitable closure, such asa dooi-YIO, which is held in closed position by a suitable fastener 11,the doors being so constructed as to enable them to be easily opened topermit the electrodes to be introduced into the barrels and removedtherefrom.

According to this invention, the electrodes introducing the electrodes,together'with the coating material, into the barrels, the doors areclosed and locked in'closedf positions,

whereupon the barrels are rotated about the axis of the shaft 6 with theresult that the electrodes, which are'maintained in a substantialparallel relation durin vthe tumbling operation, are rolled one over t eother in the presence of the coating material and are at the same timesubjected to longitudinal displacement, back and forth, with respect toOvert each other withoutv being disturbed in so far as parallelism withrespect to each other is concerned.

The rolling action, to which the electrodes are sub'ected in thepresence of the coating Y materia causes such material to adhere to theperiphery of each electrode, and the lon-- gitudinal displacement ofthese electrodes during! the time that they are rolled one e othereffects a uniform distribution thereon of the coating material, with theresult that a coating of uniform thickness is 'ilpplifid, to eachelectrode throughout its en Y side from the fact that theprocessuembodying this invention results in a more uni form coating thanhas been obtained according. to prior practice, it has been found thatupon completion of the coating operation the electrodes when removedfrom the tumbling barrels are in such a condition that they may bereadily handled and packed for shipment; that the time required for carring out such coating operation is reduced mm eight hours, requiredaccording to prior practice, per unit electrode weight of 2,000 lbs. toa period of two hours, and that a saving of more than 71% in the cost ofcoating ma- 'terial alone is effected. v It will be understood thatcertain changes may be resorted to with regard to the process hereindescribed and the apparatus employed in the carrying out of that processwithout departing from the spirit of the invention or $5 the scope ofthe following claim. What is claimed is: a

A process of coating arc welding electrodes with a frangible coatingwhich consists in tumbling the electrodes one upon the other 40 in theresence of a coating material, while maintaming' the electrodessubstantially parallel, and alternatelyinclining the electrodes inopposite directions during the tumbling,

whereby said electrodes are caused to shift 5 longitudinally over oneanother with a gentle sliding movement under the influence of gravityalone. 3

' In testimony whereof, I have afiixed my signature to thisspecification.

l0 'SIGMUND S. STEWART.

